text:
You can stop ocean-bound plastic with your ads. Get started here.
Featured Cause
For Causes
List Your Cause
CSRImpactViews
How Companies Build Donations Into Their Business: With Examples
By Nicola TelfordJanuary 22, 2021March 28th, 2022No Comments
As CSR and purpose have taken the business world by storm, exacerbated by a global pandemic and underfunded third sector while consumers become more conscious of who they buy from, we are seeing more and more companies embedding donations into their customer journey.
Whether it's a buy one, donate one; financial donations; campaign specific donations; engagement reward donations; businesses are starting to lead the charge to support charities that align with their values and really need their help. These examples show that you can embed good into your business, it's operations, it's pricing & marketing and still be profitable to continue to achieve your purpose.
Buy One, Donate One
It would be remiss to write this article without mentioning one of the pioneer companies in 'One For One' business model. Originally, Toms gave one pair of shoes to those who needed them for each person who bought a pair. Over 13 years of this model's operation, 95 million pairs of shoes have been given; protecting against infection, allowing families to use their money on education and improving self worth.
Toms Impact Report states "After selling 10,000 pairs of shoes, TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie recruited some friends, some family, and hopped on a plane to Argentina. There, they distributed 10,000 shoes—one for one—to kids in need wherever they could be found."
Toms saw such great success with their innovative initiative they have now expanded their collection to eyewear partnering first with the Seva Foundation to expand the One for One® model. Through this partnership, they helped provide medical treatment, sight-saving surgery, and prescription glasses to those in need. Then they moved onto coffee & water supply.
The original 'proof of concept' is staggering and makes you wonder why all businesses aren't building this into their business model. People care, they want to buy from companies who share those values & feel like they are doing some good in the process.
Fortunately, business leaders and entrepreneurs see this opportunity to help and this model is now being embedded into businesses across the globe.
Madi (Make A Different Intimates) founder Hayley Besheer realised that new, clean underwear is one of the most under-donated items to charity, and domestic violence refuges and homeless shelters for women often face shortages. Embracing the buy one, donate one model, Madi is taking an approach to business that really resonates with her customers.
Hayley said: "Consumers are attracted to the buy one, donate one model because it helps them give back," she told the BBC. The market is leaning more and more towards brands that offer quality products with a social purpose."
Other great examples of those businesses embracing buy one, donate one include Better World Books "Book For Book", educational resources at Yoobi "One For Me, One For You", medical scrubs from Figs in their "Threads For Threads" model and many more.
Monetary Donations & Charity Partnerships – % and per sale
Other businesses have taken a slightly different approach to "conscious capitalism". For Warby Parker, who sell fashionable glasses online, making a financial donation to organisations to produce goods locally to the need is their focus.
For every pair of glasses it sells, it makes a donation to a non-profit which will produce a pair in the country where it operates. The non-profit also trains local people in how to conduct eye exams and fit glasses. According to Warby Parker, its system makes more sense than just donating goods.
Other companies look more widely at their financial giving and commit % portions of revenue or profit to good causes. For instance, outdoor clothing company Cotopaxi has committed 2% of its annual revenue to ending poverty.
World renowned sustainable clothing company and B Corp, Patagonia, donates its "time, services, and at least 1%" of its sales to making the world a cleaner, greener place in addition to selling sustainable, affordable clothes and accessories.
Schemes to help companies do this are now rife, including 1% for the planet and on a per-sale basis platforms such as Percent support businesses in making donations when bought through the software.
As new businesses arise out of the opportunity that a shifting world has created, many, including our friends at Mins who have launched their company supporting "one feeds two", are building this model into their operations from day one. Understanding the importance of businesses giving back as a foundation of their culture & approach is inspiring.
Campaign Or Product Line Donation Approach
Many companies who have strong ethics and look to support charities choose to do campaign focussed donations or donations on proceeds from specific product lines. We talked in a recent blog about ManiLife's Christmas Cracker Campaign supporting Campaign to End Loneliness.
Probably the most common format for donations as it allows companies to support multiple charities at different times and stages in their business life cycle or depending on the season.
Businesses such as Everlane have led a shift in the meaning of 'Black Friday', which is commonly considered a frenzy of consumerism, and chose a mixed donation model including matched donations up to $50,000, and a per sale donation of $1 per sale on the Black Friday & Saturday to Feeding America.
Everlane also has a clothing line '100% Human' that currently donates 100% of its profits to Feeding America & Coronavirus Relief.
It is without a doubt that the global pandemic caused by Covid-19 has seen additional pressure, and opportunity, for businesses to support charities.
Popsockets launched products supporting Doctors Without Borders and Covid Relief as part of their 'Poptivism' approach. Many others, especially those who are thriving during the pandemic, have begun campaigns throughout 2020 that support charities in need and showcasing their desire to be a positive stakeholder in society.
When you don't have to buy anything to donate
Many of the examples so far rely on customers parting with money for businesses to make donations. It makes sense, these companies need to be viable.
But some are seeing donations as a way of rewarding engagement, time, or action rather than just sales. Something we're excited to see at Views For Change, as it is the fundamentals of what we do.
Gymshark recently simply posted on their social media that for every like, they will make a donation.
Perhaps more interestingly, some companies are looking to embed donations into their products themselves. Bumble, the dating app shaking up gender norms, now encourages women to send a message to a match by making a donation.
The women get to choose their cause between three key themes.
This example really shows us that there is an opportunity to reward users with charitable donations at almost any stage of the customer lifecycle. It is an effective way to encourage positive behaviours, increase buy into your brand and ultimately give that feel good buzz you get when you do good.
Donations in advertising – Views For Change Approach
Views For Change was created because we saw this great trend of companies making donations to causes they cared about on behalf of their customers and users, but there were still opportunities along the customer journey that were not being rewarded with donations.
As marketeers, we saw the advertising space was still a one way street; greedy and undervaluing audience's time. We saw an opportunity to change our view of value in marketing and advertising, by rewarding users for their time and engagement with donations to charity.
Advertising is often the first experience customers have of your brand, so why wait until they've purchased your product or are using your app to showcase and live your values. Start the relationship as you mean to go on with advertising that donates to charity.
Watch us talk about why we started Views For Change…
If you're interested in running a Views For Change campaign. Book a call today.
Nicola Telford
CEO & Co-Founder of Views For Change.
Impact Marketing Newsletter
Subscribe to get impact marketing insights, tips and inspiration by email.
A Complete Guide To Instagram Advertising In 2022 July 18, 2022
The Ultimate Guide to Engaging Gen Z March 31, 2022
In Statistics: The Importance Of Community For Impact Brands June 2, 2022
ViewsForChange becomes Pending B Corp! April 27, 2022
A List of Statistics That Show the Importance of Social Impact May 11, 2022
Previous Post5 things to consider when building donations into your business
Next PostThe InSOLVEncy Company launches campaign supporting bibic
The Impact Marketing Club
ViewsForChange
Join the conversation...
© 2023 Views For Change. All Rights Reserved. t/n T Good Fight Ltd


text:
We are interested in peace, unity, not Nigeria's break-up – ACF
THE pan-northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, said it had resolved to invite regional socio-cultural groups such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and South-South leaders for dialogue over burning issues affecting the country
This was just as the regional body hailed South-East leaders and governors on their stand on the violent agitation for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network.
They also assured Nigerians of Igbo extraction of the safety of their lives and property while carrying out their legitimate businesses in the North.
The northern body also commended the governors of Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu, and that of Borno, Prof. Umaru Zulum, for their courage in the fight against terrorism, urging other northern governors to emulate them.
These were contained in a communique read out to journalists by the National Chairman of the ACF, Chief Audu Ogbe, shortly after the NEC meeting.
The communique read in part, "In the very near future, the forum hopes to meet with leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and South-South leaders to discuss the lingering issues in the country that have tended to pitch ethnic and regional groups against each other.
"The forum expressed satisfaction with the recent stand of the South-East leaders and governors on the violent agitation for secession from Nigeria by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network.
"The forum (ACF) expressed satisfaction that the Ibo elders have finally disowned the agitators and called on the elders to take concrete measures to ensure that such agitations come to an end. The ACF notes that the South-East leaders called on northern leaders to protect their indigenes living in the North."
'North won't be part of call for Nigeria's break-up'
The ACF, however, noted that the North won't be part of agitation for the break-up of the Nigerian nation as being canvassed by some separatists in the country.
Besides, the forum also said it won't asked for a separate Republic out of Nigeria such as Biafra or Oduduwa Republics being agitated for by Igbo, Yoruba in the southern part of the country.
The forum also tasked northerners to unite and fight against activities of kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements ravaging the region.
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman of the forum, Audu Ogbe, expressed concern over the insecurity in the region, which he said, had become unbearable.
Meanwhile, the ACF, in the communique, called on both the federal and state governments to allow the local government system to work across the country.
According to the forum, the failure to allow the LG to work is having devastating effect on the security architecture of the country.
Ohanaeze, MASSOB berate ACF over comment on IPOB agitation
Without reform, Nigeria may be headed for a break-up
El-Rufai, ACF mourn ex-deputy gov, state declares holiday
Youth unemployment, a time bomb in North – ACF
Market demolition will worsen insecurity, ground economy – ACF
Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF insist on restructuring ahead talks with ACF

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
MR. TITO STRIKES BACK - Was Triple H Right about Sting and WCW?
Feb 25, 2015 - 12:45:42 AM
Based on the recent RAW promo with Ric Flair and then the "confrontation" at WWE Fastlane with Sting, I'm highly amused at the anti-WCW comments made by Triple H. Make no mistake, what you're seeing is "part of the character" as Triple H is the heel and he's trying to build heat for his Wrestlemania 31 match with Sting. But where have I heard this before? Oh, that's right... Just 12 years ago before Wrestlemania 19 when Triple H talked down Booker T through a racially charged promo that also belittled Booker T's WCW career.
But don't get me wrong here, folks... This is NOT another "Bash Triple H" column. No doubt to me that Vince McMahon's fingerprints are all over the scripted lines of Triple H as he belittles Sting for his WCW career. Vince is very consistent, dating back to the late 1990's. He was upset that World Championship Wrestling (WCW) began to beat him regularly in the Monday Night ratings through mid-1996 and it wasn't until mid-1998 when the WWE would beat WCW regularly in the ratings again. WCW kicked his ass and challenged his stranglehold on the wrestling market. Since 1996, Vince has been in attack mode and he can't let it go... Where I really saw it began was how quickly Big Show was defeated by Steve Austin during 1999. Show was a clear WCW creation and he was not worthy of Austin. Then, entire botched 2001 WCW Invasion where former WCW talents, namely Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page, were marginalized... Then, any WCW wrestler who would later join WWE from 2002-2004, besides Hulk Hogan, were diminished.
Why else would Sting avoid the WWE for so long, aside from TNA Wrestling offering a nice salary for fewer dates?
That "stings" really hard... "Just seemed like a gamble to me, I didn't trust how I would have been used". Sting had pride in what he did with WCW and he didn't want to be marginalized by Vince McMahon. Why should he? Sting loves to perform and to be treated with respect, as a draw, by bookers. TNA took great care of Sting and paid him very well for his services. At Sting's age and compared with the WWE's constant demands that Sting work a FULL road schedule, TNA Wrestling was a great deal for him. Better for Sting, it allowed distance between the Monday Night Wars and the 2001 WCW closure. It allowed for Vince McMahon to cool down and see the value of the WCW brand. WCW based DVD's, especially Bill Goldberg's, were proven to be top sellers and WCW content is helping to sell the WWE Network. But now that Vince finally has Sting, the longtime WCW holdout from the WWE, Vince has a few things to say about WCW to Sting.
But to ridicule WCW as the WWE is through Triple H's promos is ludicrous. Without WCW, the WWE would NOT have modernized. WCW rose up from the ashes and challenged the WWE starting in 1994. They made a bold signing of Hulk Hogan and later in that year, "Macho Man" Randy Savage. WCW would then perform massive talent raids of ECW and Mexico to thicken their roster through early 1996. Then, WCW stole Kevin Nash and Scott Hall and a genius of an angle, as Hall & Nash were "WWE Invaders", WCW became RED HOT. However, they were against a depleted WWE by 1996. Hall and Nash were gone but Bret Hart was in contract limbo following Wrestlemania 12. Left was a horribly booked Shawn Michaels as a babyface WWE Champion. Just didn't work... Many of the WWE's great stars of the future were yet to mature as WWE superstars. Thus, WCW easily pulled away from WWE. The New World Order (nWo) gimmick was red hot...
However, the New World Order gimmick only grew stronger when the company's top star, Sting, changed his character into the Crow gimmick and began stalking WCW events from the rafters... Then, he flipped the switch and turned on the NWO. That's when WCW's business went through the roof and pulled further away from WWE. Don't believe me? Go check out the buyrate numbers for Starrcade 1997. It did 650,000 buys, which through 1997, actually tied the record for the highest viewed wrestling Pay Per View Ever (Wrestlemania 5 from 1989).
What happened after Starrcade 1997 was tragic... Obviously, that show was a disaster creatively. Hulk Hogan monkeyed around with the finish, via his creative control, and didn't let Sting get an outright clean victory of him. That famous "slow count" issue... But what happened to WCW is what happened to the New York Yankees in professional baseball. Eventually, money cannot buy you everything and those free agents that you signed to long-term, guaranteed contracts do, in fact, get older. WCW invested so much money in former WWE talent and opted not to invest money in younger talent or developmental systems. When guys like Chris Jericho were getting hot, WCW officials couldn't justify pushing him because they had a line of highly paid former WWE stars or WCW veterans to push instead. Wrestling fans got tired of the older stars and sought to see something different, such as the Attitude Era unleashing on the WWE promotion. Then, when many of those older guys started to fizzle out for WCW, they didn't have the younger group of wrestlers to push in their place. Disgruntled, many already left for the WWE (Big Show, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, etc.) and the developmental system proved to be a weakness for WCW.
Overpaying for older talent and simply not investing in their future killed WCW. Simple as that... As much as I give Eric Bischoff credit for building up the WCW brand through 1996 and converting it to a potential empire by the end of 1997, he lacked long-term plans to keep the WCW brand strong. Many of the top WCW names were still collecting WCW paychecks from AOL/Time Warner through 2001 that they couldn't join the WCW Invasion in the WWE that year. Guys like Diamond Dallas Page and Booker T actually took buyouts to join the WWE early and look at the treatment both of them received. That's why Sting didn't join the WWE until almost 14 years later...
The Attitude Era, make no mistake, was built from WCW's castaways. Don't believe me? Jim Ross left WCW during early 1993 when Eric Bischoff became the boss of that company. Through early 1993, Ross not only served as an announcer, but he helped with booking and was very good managing talent there. WCW's issues during the 1990's were at the main event level and with top WCW management but WCW had a thick midcard product. Always a line of tag teams and midcard wrestlers going for those midcard titles. It was wonderful... Eventually, Ross would become in charge of the WWE's talent relations. I have repeated called Jim Ross as the "Architech of the Attitude Era" and it's true. The signings he was about to make of former WCW castaways and installing the WWE developmental system were genius. Jim Ross is responsible for restocking the WWE multiple times with top drawing talent. He is easily one of the most important figures in pro wrestling history and helped save WWE's ass through late 1997 when WWE began turning things around. Not just the Attitude Era signings, but the amazing developmental system that would really hatch in 2002 that gave us amazing talents like John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Shelton Benjamin, among many others who could have been great but the booking destroyed their potential.
Gee, who else came from WCW that helped make the Attitude Era huge? A guy by the name of Steve Austin. I knew him as "Stunning" Steve Austin. WCW fired him with Hulk Hogan's influence spreading throughout the roster. Who else left around that time? Guy by the name of Mick Foley... Better yet, during the early 1990's, WWE grabbed a tall red headed guy by the name of "Mean" Mark Callous who later became the Undertaker. Austin, Foley, and Taker were wrestlers that WCW no longer wanted and just let them go... Go on your WWE Network and see the Big Show when he was named "The Giant" during 1995-1996. You'll be amazed at how thin and agile he was back then... That guy should have been a HUGE star but WCW took him for granted and by 1997, he began to lose motivation and put on 100 more pounds of extra weight by 1998. Oh, and this guy named "Terra Ryzing" whom Kevin Nash claimed to have excited him enough to watch WCW. Ryzing would be reworked into being named "Jean Paul Levesque", a French blueblood wrestler... He would leave to join the WWE during early 1995 to become Hunter Hearst Helmsley or as you know him today, Triple H.
Jim Ross, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Undertaker, Big Show, and Triple H... All guys that WCW rejected. Yet, without these key figures, the WWE is dead in the water by the late 1990's. As noted above, WCW took the wrestlers above for granted because of all of the high priced free agents they were signing. In the short-run, it worked... WCW ruled the wrestling landscape from mid-1996 to mid-1998, 2 freakin' years... They became a victim of their own success and AOL/Time Warner kept writing checks... Until they stopped through 2000 and eventually canceled all WCW programming by early 2001.
I know, Triple H is just playing a heel character... But Vince McMahon has been consistent in rewriting pro wrestling history books. I guess since Vince won, he gets to call the shots... But as you may know, I have written for LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com since late October 1998. My first column actually covered WCW Halloween Havoc 1998 which was probably the last big bite at the Pay Per View apple that WCW had... Aside from the amazing Diamond Dallas Page vs. Bill Goldberg match, you had what match? Oh that's right, Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior. My 10 year old self marked out at Wrestlemania 6 but not my 18 year old self covering this bad match-up. WCW signed Warrior (or Ultimate Warrior in WWE) and after almost a month, they sent him home. Few months later to start 1999, WCW put all of the highly paid WCW veterans and former WWE stars back together for yet another New World Order stable. And then they tried it again during late 1999... By 2000, WCW was a broken, hot mess. So many big contracts on the AOL/Time Warner books and that talent was no longer drawing.
But Sting stuck around until the very end, yes... He was a recipient of one of those nice AOL/Time Warner contracts. Why would he leave for the WWE when he was getting highly paid with guaranteed money by one of the biggest corporations in America? At the end of the day, there are bills to be paid and families to feed. But the reason he received that nice, fat AOL/Time Warner contract was from his 1997 feud with the NWO and Hulk Hogan. The Starrcade 1997 buyrate says it all... And if you want to give that one to Hulk Hogan, then why didn't the previous Starrcade in 1996 with Hogan vs. Roddy Piper draw anywhere near that? Hell, any Pay Per View during 1996-1997 from WCW... Nothing near that Starrcade 1997 number that tied the viewership record for Pay Per View at that time.
I could go back further... 1991-1993 were tough times for WCW. The Ric Flair turmoil of 1991 where his argument with WCW management over booking caused Flair to be terminated from the company. Flair would go on to the wrestle for the WWE for the rest of 1991 and most of 1992 while initially parading with the big gold WCW/NWA belt there. Then, by 1993, it was Eric Bischoff's first year as WCW's manager. That was a brutal year of bad free agent signings, horrible booking, and the infamous Shockmaster that poor Sting had to hype and introduce for the company. Yet, for those 1991-1993 times, there was always 1 constant... The Man Called Sting. When times are tough in pro wrestling, promotions can easily go under... Yet, WCW had this babyface wrestler who helped put butts in seats and push merchandise. That was an era where Ric Flair wasn't there to "carry him" as many have claimed about Sting for his overall WCW career. Sting had some great matches during 1991-1993 when WCW needed him the most. Go watch them on your WWE Network!
So no, Triple H and the WWE (Vince McMahon) are NOT right about Sting and their revisionist WCW history. Sting has enough of a WCW resume to prove that he was indeed a top drawing wrestler. He deserved to be respected through his first WWE match and not marginalized or silenced. Vince McMahon still insists that the WWE and WCW "dick measuring contest" is still ongoing and that's a shame. What WCW did from 1994 through mid-1998 was absolutely amazing. Their growth and innovations to the wrestling industry helped fix the broken WWE wrestling model. For the younger fans who laugh at TNA taping multiple "Impact" shows at once, WWE did that through early 1997. Seriously... WCW aired LIVE shows every week and WWE was taping 4-5 RAW shows at once.
What caused WCW to become a "sinking ship" was due to all of the older veterans they had on the roster that installed a glass ceiling above any younger wrestlers. Gee, what's that phrase that I always post? "Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it!" (George Santayana). And what has WWE done? Over-reliance on their WWE veterans such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Big Show, Kane, and Brock Lesnar. Bringing back part-time wrestlers like Rock and Undertaker to take big spots on shows. Batista returns after a long hiatus to earn a main event spot on Wrestlemania. Triple H wears suits and acts as an authority figure and yet he still dominates as a would be wrestler in his older age. And now, Sting. Additionally, WWE has multiple "legends" nights per year on RAW where all of the older guys come back. Gee, that sounds like WCW to me... But don't worry, guys like Dolph Ziggler are always good to willingly job for the Big Shows and Kanes of the world...
That's why I keep insisting that WWE officials should watch their own WWE Network. They could easily see the mistakes that past promotions made and not repeat history.
But hey... Sting signed that WWE contract and gets to work his first Wrestlemania match ever. By joining the WWE, he has to abide by the company's decisions made by its creative team. Thus, he has allowed himself to be belittled by the revisionist WWE officials who are upset that Sting never jumped ship.
Hard to deny Sting's WCW success but it's also hard to deny the actual facts as to why WCW died. Sting was just one of many getting paid by AOL/Time Warner. Problem was that WCW didn't have a guy like Jim Ross to make the right signings and restock the roster with amazing younger talents. WCW let Ross go during early 1993 and gambled on paying for free agents for the next 5 years. It worked and then fusing the free agents with a top drawing WCW talent named Sting made it even better. But long-term, the older guys wear out their welcome and well, become older. Worse for WCW, they gave many of their wrestlers creative control in their contracts. At the very least, WWE has learned from history on that mistake.
Both Sting and WCW were great... Don't let anyone from WWE tell you otherwise. Again, go watch them on your WWE Network if you don't believe me. WWE would have died if key WCW talent didn't join the WWE during the 1990's and that includes Triple H.


text:
University Of Pittsburgh European Studies Center: Just Energy Transition Workshop Online Event June 3-4
The European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh is hosting an online Just Energy Transition Workshop June 3 and 4.
The Just Energy Transition Workshop is a timely workshop to examine the progress of the EU member countries, as well as the United States and Canada, following the COP-26 in Glasgow in 2021 and the IPCC Sixth Assessment Reports published in 2022.
It brings together scholars from North America and Europe to explore the equity aspects of the energy transition, within the context of their countries' historical patterns of energy production and consumption.
For countries that have made significant adoption of renewable energy, how can policies be designed to further expand renewable energy adoption, while ensuring broader sharing of benefits, both as a valuable end in itself and in order to sustain political support for the energy transition.
For countries that continue to have a strong reliance on fossil fuel extraction, how can policies help the shift towards renewable energy while assisting workers and communities, which have been reliant on fossil fuel extraction, to diversify their economies?
The keynote speaker will be: Jim Skea (Ph.D. Cambridge) is the Co-chair of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was the Research Director of the interdisciplinary UK Energy Research Centre until 2012, leading the Phase I Energy 2050 project.
Other speakers include--
-- Patrice Geoffron (Ph.D. Paris-Dauphine University) is a Research Fellow of the Centre on Regulation in Europe, member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Management and Network Economics, and co-editor of the Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment journal.
-- Pablo del Rio Gonzalez (Ph.D. Autonomous University of Madrid) is the head scientist of the Environmental Economics group of the Institute of Policies and Public Goods of the Higher Council for Scientific Research.
-- Shanti Gamper-Rabindran (Ph.D. MIT) is an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Her book America's Energy Gamble (Cambridge University Press 2022) details how political, financial and legal institutions entrench fossil fuel dependency, but how efforts to shift to renewable energy are gaining traction.
-- Espen Moe (Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles) is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
-- Andrea Prontera (Ph.D. University of Florence) is assistant professor of international relations in the Department of Political Science, Communication and International Relations at the University of Macerata, Italy.
-- Nancy Olewiler (Ph.D. University of British Columbia) is a professor at the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University, affiliated with organizations such as Powertech Labs Inc. and the Center for Public Research.
-- Mogens Rüdiger (Dr.Phil. Aalborg University, Ph.D. Copenhagen University) is a professor at Aalborg University, research coordinator for the Contemporary History research unit, and a member of various academic boards and councils.
-- Miranda Schreurs (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is Chair of Climate and Environmental Policy at the Technical University of Munich.
Click Here to register and for more information on the agenda.


text:
Digital Learning Day is February 27!
State Stories
Video Profiles
Cajon Valley Union School Districtkhartley2019-09-18T13:49:19+00:00
Cajon Valley Union School District
Digital Learning Video Gallery
Houston Independent School District
Vista Unified School District
Saint Paul High School
Dysart Unified School District
Quakertown Community School District
Talladega County Schools
Klein Independent School District
New Tech West High School
2014 Digital Learning Day Highlights
Digital Learning Day 2012
Changing the Culture of Learning
Just a few years ago, the Cajon Valley Union School District (Cajon Valley USD) was challenged by ethnic differences, poverty, inequity between schools, and low achievement. Today, academic achievement is on the rise, students are leaders of learning, and the district has received multiple awards and recognition for its efforts.
This video profile examines how this small urban school district and one of its middle schools have made dramatic strides through the effective implementation of digital learning paired with other major types of support for students and teachers. Hear directly from teachers and school administrators as they describe how they were able to achieve success. – See more at: https://digitallearningday.org/Page/105#sthash.ZUnH1k3U.dpuf
© Copyright 2016 - | The Alliance for Excellent Education


Watch Full Cecil B. Demented (2000) Netflix Stream, An insane independent film director and his renegade group of teenage film makers kidnap an A-list Hollywood actress and force her to star in their underground film.
Some commentators say that Cecil B. Demented (2000) is a good movie, although some of them say that Cecil B. Demented (2000) is a bad movie. However, it is impossible to evaluate good or bad before Watch Cecil B. Demented (2000) Full Movie.
Always remember don't trust the opinion of Cecil B. Demented (2000) on the Internet because the authors paid to write a comment. You can write, Cecil B. Demented (2000) is a good movie, but it can be is a bad movie. Streaming full Cecil B. Demented (2000) first, Once you can rate this movie. Trust us.


text:
PNGV may update goals for automakers PLASTICS NEWS REPORT
AUBURN HILLS, MICH. - The federally supported Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles may be revising its plan for lightweight, fuel-sipping family cars, but DaimlerChrysler Corp. is not.
The Auburn Hills carmaker will continue developing a plastic-body car, a project connected to the PNGV program.
A PNGV review released Aug. 14 said the government should establish new goals, since it is unlikely automakers will be able to produce an affordable family sedan that gets 80 miles per gallon by its 2004 deadline.
DaimlerChrysler's concept cars, including last year's ESX3, used an injection molded plastic body. That research will continue, said Max Gates, manager of advanced technology and environment.
``This report and any question about [the ability to deliver] doesn't affect what we're doing,'' he said.
The carmaker's research has extended beyond the PNGV, he noted, with plans to injection mold a hard top for the Jeep Wrangler and additional concept cars introduced earlier this year.
``This is going to continue to be important for us from a lightweight body program,'' Gates said.


text:
Deja vu in NJ's 9th Congressional District?
The race is shaping up to be the same as two years ago
By Daniel Israel, Staff Writer
Rep. Bill Pascrell virtually addresses the New Beginnings Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey annual awards on May 12. Photo courtesy of Pascrell.
Things are shaping up to largely be a repeat of 2020 in the upcoming General Election for the 9th Congressional District of New Jersey, which encompasses Secaucus and parts of Kearny.
Barring any surprises, following the respective Democratic and Republican Primary Elections on June 7, the race for the 9th District will mainly be another bout between 13-term Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. and U.S. Air Force veteran William "Billy" Prempeh.
In the 2020 election, Pascrell previously swept Prempeh by 105,045 votes, 66 percent to 32 percent in 2020. This was 203,674 or 65.8 percent of the vote to 98,629 or 31.9 percent, a difference of over 34 percentage points. In a distant third was Veteran For Change Party candidate Chris Auriemma with 2.3 percent of the vote or 7,239.
Pascrell unopposed in primary
Pascrell launched his campaign back in December of 2021. Since then, things have been relatively quiet for the Democrat when it comes to this congressional race, which includes Secaucus and Kearny but is more centered around Paterson and other municipalities in the center of the district across Passaic and Bergen Counties.
Pascrell last fended off two challengers back in 2020, Zinovia Spezakis and Alp Basaran. But this year, he does not face a primary challenge, with no one filing to run against him in the Democratic Primary by the April deadline.
While other long-time congressmen, such as the 8th Congressional District's Rep. Albio Sires, are retiring after decades in the House of Representatives, Pascrell is looking to stay and continue to represent his constituents. In recent years while advocating and working with Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson Counties in Congress, Pascrell has also been an outspoken critic of the Trump Administration and was proud to vote to ratify the electoral vote for President Joe Biden after the insurrection on January 6.
In the first quarter of 2022, Pascrell has raised $228,797, according to the Federal Election Commission. This adds to his already expansive funds now totaling $1,730,496 to support his re-election campaign for a 14th term.
Republican establishment backs Prempeh
Prempeh, a Black Trump supporter from Paterson who has not stopped campaigning since his first loss to Pascrell in 2020, has seen the Republican establishment line up behind him again. Prempeh has so far won the nomination of the Bergen County Republicans and the Passaic County Republicans.
Prempeh previously faced a challenge from Timothy Walsh in 2020, although Walsh unofficially withdrew from the contest before the Primary Election. While Prempeh started out seemingly unopposed in 2022, fellow Republican Patrick Quinn switched his run for Congress from the 11th Congressional District to the 9th Congressional District after his hometown of Pompton Lakes was redistricted there.
As of late March, Prempeh was triumphing over Quinn, securing the Bergen County Republican nomination by a 7 to 1 margin, 154-20 or 89 to 11 percent. And when the April 4 filing deadline came around, Quinn did not submit petitions, making Prempeh's run in the primary unopposed.
In the first quarter of 2022, Prempeh raised $25,663, according to FEC filings. And he is spending nearly as much as he is raising, leaving him with just $18,462 cash on hand going forward.
Libertarian Party candidate enters race
The Libertarian Party is also running a candidate in the 9th District, Sean Armstrong. However, not much information on Armstrong is currently available, including no FEC filings.
While Pascrell is ultimately expected to not only win his Primary Election again but also the General Election, the race is sure to heat up following June 7 on the road to November 8.
Previous articleNorth Bergen gives housing inspectors ability to enforce and issue summonses
Next articleBayonne passes resolution opposing proposed PVSC power plant in Newark


text:
Showrunner Angela Kang knew "The Strolling Dead" finale wouldn't be finished without Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira).
The series' previous hero, Rick withdrew the show in 2018, taking off on a secret helicopter. Michonne left the series in 2020 looking for Rick, the dad of her youngsters.
The first arrangement was for the two to be brought together in an as of late rejected film set of three.
At the point when Kang learned season 11 of the prophetically calamitous show would be its rearward in 2020, she told AMC she needed not one, yet both to return for its decision.
"I needed them in the finale all along of delineating the season and pitched it that way to AMC and said, "I know it's not all dependent upon me,
but rather I think the most ideal variant of the story is that they return," Kang told Insider over Zoom on Thursday.
"Everyone's like, 'That's right. We hear you. That is cool. We couldn't say whether it will work out,'" Kang said of the reaction she got.
Finale chief and leader maker Greg Nicotero told Insider on a different Zoom get back to they were all the while going
and forward on the decision about whether to remember Rick and Michonne for mid 2022 as they were preparing work on the show's last two episodes.
"We weren't certain about their accessibility. We weren't certain about how to coordinate this Rick and Michonne beat into the ongoing account,
which was wrapping up the Province story," Nicotero said, making sense of that they would have rather not detracted from
the tales of other significant characters, as Negan, Song, Daryl or Rosita.


text:
Бижутерия pilgrim
After the Hunters have failed to kill Rip Hunter and his team, Time Master Druce issues Omega Protocols on every team member. While dying, one of the Hunters tells Mick Rory about the Omega Protocols and that the Pilgrim will now be coming for them. Back on the Waverider, Rory warns the rest of the team about the Pilgrim. Rory and Rip explain to the rest that the Pilgrim is a Time Master assassin and that she, as every team member is a skilled fighter, will be targeting younger and more vulnerable versions of them. She however has only one attempt on killing a younger version, as multiple attempts would create irreparable temporal damage.
Indeed she is seen in 1990, attempting to attack a younger version of Mick Rory. This attempt fails when Ray Palmer saves the young Mick and brings him onboard the Waverider. This means that the young version of Rory is safe. The Pilgrim next targets Sara Lance and heads to Starling City in 2007. There, she attacks the SCPD where Sara and her father are located due to the take-your-daughter-to-work-day. The Pilgrim storms the precinct, attacking a police officer at the door while entering. The remaining policemen draw their guns and shoot at the Pilgrim, who is impervious to their bullets. The Pilgrim defeats every policemen, including Lance, but young Sara is saved by the team. The older Sara attacks the Pilgrim and during this fight young Sara recognizes her older self. The fight ends when Mick Rory blasts the Pilgrim with his heat gun, allowing Rip's team to retreat. While the young Sara is brought to the Waverider and thus saved, Gideon has no lead on the next target of the Pilgrim, leaving the team to wonder which team member will the Pilgrim target next.
While talking to Kendra aboard the Waverider, Ray suddenly collapses. Gideon's scans reveal that he is suffering from severe internal injuries and that a temporal anomaly has appeared in Ray's timeline on 19 December 2014. The team realises that the Pilgrim must be attacking Ray and head for Star City. There, they find the younger Ray attacked by the Pilgrim. Stein and Jax fuse to Firestorm and shoot a fireball at her but the Pilgrim freezes time around Firestorm, redirects the fireball at him, and thus blasts Firestorm away. Meanwhile, Rip saves Ray by aiming a part of Ray's A.T.O.M. suit at the Pilgrim and shooting an energy ray at her. The Pilgrim is lifted off her feet and blasted out of the window and the team retreats back to the Waverider. There, they decide to kidnap their newborn selfs to make sure they are safe from the Pilgrim. While doing so, the team narrowly evades the Pilgrim who has come to kill the baby version of Jax. When she enters the room to kill the baby, she only finds a mocking note left by Jax.
Fed up with the interference of Rip's team, the Pilgrim a transchronal beacon for the crew of the Waverider to find. The entire team listens to the Pilgrim's message in which the Pilgrim threatens to target the team's loved ones, including Lisa Snart, Quentin Lance, Clarissa Stein, Jax' father and Anna Loring. The transmission comes with a carrier frequency, allowing the team to contact the Pilgrim. Rip contacts the Pilgrim and gives her a counter offer. Should the Pilgrim leave the rest of his team alone, he will surrender her his past self, meaning that eliminating him would prevent the creation of the team alltogether. The Pilgrim agrees to the deal and the team, including Rip's younger self, meet with the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim exchanges Jax' father against young Rip, claiming that she will released the rest when the boy has been handed over to her. While Jax' father approaches the team, the young Rip walks towards the Pilgrim. Unbeknownst to the Pilgrim, Palmer in his atom form is hidden on the boy's shoulder. On Ray's sign, the entire group attacks her but the Pilgrim freezes every team member's attack. However, she does not freeze the young Rip who draws a knife and stabs her in the stomach. The pain causes her to accidentally release the rest of the team, resulting in her being hit by each team member's attack, killing her and reducing her to a pile of ash.
"Noteworthy Events in the Modern-day History of Jehovah's Witnesses", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 719, "1894 Traveling overseers that in time came to be known as pilgrims (today, circuit and district overseers) are sent out in connection with the Society's program for visiting congregations"
"Sweden", 1991 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 126
"Switzerland and Liechtenstein", 1987 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 123, "'Pilgrims' were traveling representatives of the Society, as circuit overseers are today. Their efforts contributed to the unity of the brothers and brought them into closer contact with God's organization. The Society would announce in Zion's Watch Tower the proposed itinerary of the pilgrim brothers, and congregations and smaller groups along these routes would then write and express their desire to be visited. The pilgrims were excellent speakers, and their public lectures were usually well attended. In 1913, for example, their audiences in Switzerland totaled some 8,000 persons."
"Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 222, " in 1894, arrangements were made for the Society to have well-qualified speakers travel more regularly to help the Bible Students to grow in knowledge and appreciation for the truth and to draw them closer together. …An effort was made to have each group in the United States and Canada visited twice a year, though not usually by the same brother. In selecting these traveling speakers, emphasis was placed on meekness, humility, and clear understanding of the truth as well as loyal adherence to it and ability to teach it with clarity. Theirs was by no means a paid ministry. They were simply provided with food and lodging by the local brothers, and to the extent necessary, the Society helped them with travel expenses. They came to be known as pilgrims. Many of these traveling representatives of the Society were dearly loved by those whom they served. A. H. Macmillan, a Canadian, is remembered as a brother to whom God's Word proved to be "like a burning fire."
"Part 1—United States of America", CMP'1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 83
Some prominent literary characters who were pilgrims include:
In the epic poem , portrays himself as a pilgrim traveling through the afterlife realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
depicted multiple pilgrims (e.g., Christian – the protagonist, Faithful, Talkative, Christiana, Mercy, Old Honest, Mr. Fearing, Mr. Feeble-Mind, Mr. Ready-to-Halt, and Mr. Valiant) as well as false pilgrims (e.g., Formalist, Hypocrisy, and Mr. By-Ends) in his Christian allegory, (1678)
Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a (medieval Christian from Europe who makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem) and the titular character of 's book
A palmer plays a significant role representing Reason in Book II of 's epic poem
In-game Description
Blunderbuss 25 78.0M Increases the DPS of Paul the Pilgrim by 150%
Quote: Pow!
Mayflower 50 3.12B Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 25%
Quote: It's how all the coolest cats get around.
Imported Riches 100 1.24t Increases all Gold found by 33%
Quote: This'll do until we can get some peons into the gold mine.
Hearty 150 499t Increases the health of Paul the Pilgrim by 50%
Quote: I'll stand for you, when others won't!
Eminent Domain 200 199q For every 25 levels over and including 200, Paul the Pilgrim's DPS is multiplied by 4x. This multiplier stacks.
Quote: All the light touches is our kingdom.
Well Armed Militia 300 79.8s Increases the Base DPS of the Crusaders next to Paul the Pilgrim by 100% when the formation is under attack
Quote: Rise up, brothers and sisters!
Stronger Together 400 31.9o Increases the effect of Petra the Pilgrim's Immigrant Nation, Share the Wealth, and Common Law abilities by 50%
Quote: Petra? Take heart, wife!
Anchor CommonRusty Anchor
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Imported Riches ability by 10%
UncommonBlood-Stained Anchor
RareShiny Iron Anchor
EpicOrnamental Golden Anchor of the HMS Victory
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Imported Riches ability by 100%
Golden EpicAuto-Propelling Anchor of Immediate Halting
LegendarySolid Gold Anchor of Wasteful Ship Anchoring
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Imported Riches ability by 200% Legendary: Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 50% for each Tank Crusader in the formation
Golden LegendaryAuto-Propelling Anchor of Immediate Halting
Pilgrim Hat CommonHoley Pilgrim Hat
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Mayflower ability by 10%
UncommonPatched Pilgrim Hat
RareFine Pilgrim Hat
EpicMasterful Straw Pilgrim Hat of Epic Pilgrim Plundering
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Mayflower ability by 100%
Golden EpicCleverly Disguised Brain Parasite
LegendarySuper Rigid Pilgrim's Hat of Sparkling Rubies
Increases the effect of Paul the Pilgrim's Mayflower ability by 200% Legendary: Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 100% when Petra the Pilgrim is also in the formation
Golden LegendaryCleverly Disguised Brain Parasite
Pitchfork CommonSnapped Pitchfork
Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 5%
UncommonBended Pitchfork
Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 10%
RareSolid Oak Pitchfork
EpicRazor Sharpened Pitchfork of the Aggressive Villager
Golden EpicAuto-Springing Pitchfork of the Unsprung Hero
LegendarySpring-Loaded Pitchfork of Springy-Pitches
Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 80% Legendary: Increases the health of Paul the Pilgrim by 100%
Golden LegendaryAuto-Springing Pitchfork of the Unsprung Hero
Increases the DPS of all Crusaders by 120% Legendary: Increases the health of Paul the Pilgrim by 100%
Paul and Petra work well together
because of Well Armed Militia Paul is best next to your main DPS
Hearty makes him decent tank.
Many religions still espouse pilgrimage as a spiritual activity. The great pilgrimage to (now in ), is an obligatory duty at least once for every Muslim who is able to make the journey. Other Islamic devotional pilgrimages, particularly to the or Sufi saints, are also popular across the Islamic world. As in the Middle Ages, modern Christian pilgrims may choose to visit , where according to the the church was established by , sites in the " connected with the life of (such as , and the ) or places associated with saints, visions and miracles such as , , and .
Modern Orthodox pilgrim in , Ukraine
Tibetan pilgrim, , , India
Places of pilgrimage in the world include those associated with the life of the historical : his supposed birthplace and childhood home ( and in ) and place of enlightenment ( in northern ), other places he is believed to have visited and the place of his death (or Parinirvana), , India. Others include the many temples and monasteries with relics of the Buddha or Buddhist saints such as the in and the numerous sites associated with teachers and patriarchs of the various traditions. pilgrimage destinations may be holy cities (, ); rivers (the , the ); mountains (several peaks are sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists); caves (such as the near , ); temples; festivals, such as the peripatetic , in 2001 the biggest public gathering in history; or the tombs and dwelling places of saints (, ).
Beginning in 1894, Christian ministers under the direction of were appointed to travel to and work with local congregations for a few days at a time; within a few years appointments were extended internationally, formally designated as "pilgrims", and scheduled for twice-yearly, week-long visits at each local congregation. (IBSA) pilgrims were excellent speakers, and their local talks were typically well-publicized and well-attended. Prominent Bible Students and were both appointed pilgrims before they joined the board of directors of the ; the IBSA later adopted the name and renamed pilgrims as .
Japanese Prime Minister , like many fans of , visited .
A modern phenomenon is the cultural pilgrimage which, while involving a personal journey, is secular in nature. Destinations for such pilgrims can include historic sites of national or cultural importance, and can be defined as places "of cultural significance: an artist's home, the location of a pivotal event or an iconic destination". An example might be a fan visiting . Destinations for cultural pilgrims include , or the . Cultural pilgrims may also travel on religious pilgrimage routes, such as the , with the perspective of making it a historic or architectural tour rather than – or as well as – a religious experience. Under communist regimes, devout secular pilgrims visited locations such as the , the and the . Such visits were sometimes state-sponsored. Sites such as these continue to attract visitors. The distinction between religious, cultural or political pilgrimage and tourism is not necessarily always clear or rigid. Pilgrimage could also refer symbolically to journeys, largely on foot, to places where the concerned person(s) expect(s) to find spiritual and/or personal salvation. In the words of adventurer-author in his book , was 'a pilgrim perhaps' to Alaska in search of spiritual bliss.
Pilgrims and the making of are common in many , including the faiths of , in the , , , and . The and customs of consulting the at local , such as those at or , both in , are widely known. In , pilgrimages could either be personal or state-sponsored.
In the early period of , pilgrims traveled to , , , and eventually (see also , a practice followed by other ). While many pilgrims travel toward a specific location, a physical destination is not always a necessity. One group of pilgrims in early were the Peregrinari Pro Christ, (Pilgrims for Christ), or "white martyrs", who left their homes to wander in the world. This sort of pilgrimage was an religious practice, as the pilgrim left the security of home and the for an unknown destination, trusting completely in . These travels often resulted in the founding of new and the spread of Christianity among the pagan population in and in continental Europe.
Сумки radley
Шампунь Tsubaki
Парижская мода


JYJ fans have yet another issue on their hands, as it was recently discovered that Japan's Oricon chart excluded JYJ's album from its rankings.
According to Oricon, the decision was made in deference to Avex Entertainment's condition of distribution. The Japanese agency had claimed their contracts with JYJ to be invalid as of September 2010. Consequently, this halt on their Japanese activities brought up discussions of whether or not JYJ's albums would be still distributed. Avex agreed to release the albums under the condition that the trio are prohibited from promoting and advertising their releases for monetary gain.
The albums were eventually released on March 2nd to "revitalize the market", but Oricon explained that they would be excluded from the rankings chart since it is also a form of advertisement.


During the last three years, companies operating in the Permian Basin have drilled much longer laterals and used substantially more complex well completion design in their newer wells with the aim of reaching higher initial production (IP) rates. Well lateral lengths in the Permian have increased in average by more than 1,500 feet since 2016 to approximately 7,500 feet by the end of 2017, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
An analysis of recent wells for 26 operators in the Permian Basin indicates a break-even oil price range from U.S. $21 to U.S. $48 per barrel with lateral lengths ranging from 4,500 feet to 10,500 feet, GlobalData asserts.
Currently, five Permian operators, EOG Resources, XTO Energy, Pioneer Natural Resources, Concho Resources, and Chevron are the companies with the lowest oil break-even price. For these operators, well lateral lengths vary from 7,560 feet to 10,500 feet and an oil break-even price for their most representative type well is less than U.S. $26 per barrel. The estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) for such wells exceed 1,000 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) and their IP rate is in the range of 1,260 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) and 1,917 boed.
Svetlana Doh, Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, says: "Longer laterals do not necessarily translate into high productivity. For instance, QEP Resources has an average lateral length of around 7,200 feet, but an IP rate of around 730 boed. By contrast, the wells drilled by EOG have approximately the same length, 7,560 feet, but yield twice higher initial rates.
"The reason for such a difference is generally related to a completion design incorporating more fracturing stages and the amount of proppant injected. Recent wells drilled by EOG have approximately 2,400 pounds of proppant injected per lateral foot, while QEP used 1,300 pounds of various type proppant per lateral foot.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has announced a positive 90-day finding on a petition to remove the western distinct population segment (DPS) of the yellow-billed cuckoo (YBCU; Coccyzus americanus), from the federal list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing of the western DPS of the YBCU impacts 13 states.
While the action doesn't impact the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, nor its initiatives, directly, the news was welcomed by PBPA leadership. Ben Shepperd, President of the PBPA, said that several of the PBPA's allies were involved in this effort (to remove the cuckoo from its listing as threatened), and that the USFWS's step is one that PBPA deems as a positive development.
Because erroneous listings of species under the ESA can deprive landowners of the full use of their land and cause significant economic harm, Texas-based ASL—a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization—previously launched a broad effort to delist the numerous species that were either listed in error or have recovered in their natural habitat since listing. These species take up scarce economic resources and impose unnecessary burdens on private landowners and local governments.
On May 4, 2017, the Service received a petition from a diverse group of industry associations, private landowners, and local conservation districts requesting the delisting of the western DPS of the YBCU, which included ASL, Arizona Cattlemen's Association (ACA), Arizona Mining Association (AMA), National Cattleman's Beef Association (NCBA), and Public Lands Council (PLC). Additionally, these organizations were joined by both the Winkelman and Hereford Natural Resource Conservation Districts in Arizona and Arizona rancher, Mr. Jim Chilton.
The petitioners requested the species' removal from the ESA's list of endangered and threatened species based on two rationales: (1) error in the Service's consideration of the YBCU's eastern and western populations as distinct and (2) new information indicating the YBCU's use of additional habitat not previously thought suitable for the species.
The Service has now concluded that the delisting petition presented substantial scientific and commercial information that the YBCU uses additional habitats, which indicates that the species' delisting may be warranted. Following this preliminary positive finding, the Service will now conduct a species status review to thoroughly analyze the status of the species and seek additional information from the public, which Petitioners believe will lead the Service recognize the error in the species' current status as a listed species.
Through current data and robust science, ASL will continue to actively make the case to delist wildlife and plant species that do not qualify for ESA protection. ASL's efforts apply to delisting flora and fauna anywhere in the United States where a species was listed in error or where there is no longer a reasonable justification for a species to be listed as endangered or threatened.
Delisting a species under the ESA may occur as a result of the species' recovery, the species' extinction, or a condition wherein the original data underlying the listing was in error. Since 1973, when the ESA became law, more than 1,500 domestic species have been listed, but only 85 species have been delisted (74 domestic and 13 foreign species). Of these, 20 were delisted because the original data was found to be in error.
ASL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to protecting private property that works closely with local governments and landowners across America, including: County Commissions, Conservation Districts, business owners, family farmers, ranchers, and homeowners who simply want to exercise the right to productively use their land. For more information, visit: www.americanstewards.us.
San Antonio-based Petro Waste Environmental LP (PWE) announced June 26 the opening of its Deep Six and Big Lake landfills in the Permian Basin.
The Deep Six Landfill is located on a 212-acre tract in Reeves County, Texas, 10 miles south of the city of Pecos. The facility accepts oil-based mud, water-based mud, oil-based drill cuttings, water-based drill cuttings, contaminated soil, and RCRA-exempt non-hazardous exploration and production (E&P) waste, and provides washouts and other ancillary services. The Big Lake Landfill is located on a 245-acre tract on Highway 137 in Reagan County at the Stiles turnoff, approximately 12 miles north of Big Lake.
This facility is wholly owned and operated by Petro Waste. Funding for the Big Lake Landfill and Petro Waste's share of the Deep Six Landfill is being provided by Petro Waste's equity sponsor, Tailwater Capital. Petro Waste's other two Permian Basin facilities are the Orla Landfill, which opened in April and is also now part of the joint venture with Trinity, and a Howard County facility located between Stanton and Big Spring, which opened in September 2017. Both facilities offer the same services as the Deep Six and Reagan Landfills. Petro Waste also holds a permit in Pecos County to service development around the Permian Basin's Alpine High play, as well as permits in DeWitt County and McMullen County to service anticipated future activity in the Eagle Ford Shale.
The exploration and production of oil and gas creates various forms of waste that must be processed and disposed of according to strict regulations set by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In recent years, technological advancements have helped E&P companies extract hydrocarbons from the earth more efficiently, but these new techniques have increased the volume of non-hazardous solid wastes and high-solids-content waste fluids. These wastes consist primarily of oil-based drilling muds and cuttings and high-solids-content frac flow-back water. The historical lack of infrastructure capable of efficiently processing and disposing of these waste streams near drilling sites previously made it necessary to truck large quantities of the wastes over long distances to the few existing facilities capable of accepting the materials.
Petro Waste Environmental has addressed this infrastructure shortage. The company hasconstructed highly advanced, RRC-permitted waste-processing and disposal facilities throughout the Permian Basin and has plans to do the same in the near future across the Eagle Ford Shale.
The increasing public interest in the use and disposal of E&P waste will likely lead to more stringent regulation, an even higher level of engineering standards in facility design and the construction of more institutional-quality facilities. Petro Waste is building its facilities and training its personnel with that future in mind. Through its innovative, forward-thinking operations, Petro Waste is reducing environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry today, and those benefits will only multiply as the company expands operations to other plays throughout the United States.
Petro Waste Environmental LP is building one of the largest networks of oilfield solid waste-processing and disposal facilities in the United States, strategically located throughout the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford Shale and other active plays across the country. The company provides all forms of non-hazardous E&P waste-processing and disposal. Petro Waste is continually adding new facilities to ensure its customers have access to waste disposal facilities that meet federal and state guidelines as close as possible to their drilling sites. For more information, visit http://www.petrowastelp.com.
Dallas‐based Tailwater Capital is a sophisticated, growth‐oriented energy private equity firm with a well-established track record, having executed more than 100 energy transactions in the upstream and midstream sectors representing over $18.6 billion in transaction value. Tailwater currently manages over $2.5 billion in committed capital and is actively pursuing midstream and upstream investment opportunities. Tailwater is focused on acquiring and growing midstream assets as well as participating in non‐operated upstream opportunities in select basins. For more information, please visit www.tailwatercapital.com.
A Midland, Texas, native celebrated America's 242nd year of independence as part of a hand-picked Navy crew serving on the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat, the U.S.S. Constitution.
Airman Francisco Miranda serves aboard the 220-year-old Boston-based ship named by President George Washington to honor the Constitution of the United States of America. Famously known as "Old Ironsides," the Constitution is a wooden-hulled three-masted heavy frigate that originally launched in 1797.
Although Miranda graduated from Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2008, he now considers Midland home, where his parents, Javier and Minerva Miranda, currently live.
Miranda is honored to have been selected to serve on the ship that is rich in history and successfully held off the British Navy in the War of 1812.
A key element of the Navy's mission is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation's prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world's oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world's population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea. Just as U.S. Navy ships and submarines do today, Constitution actively defended sea lanes against global threats from 1797 to 1855. Constitution's victories at sea during the War of 1812 inspired a nation and helped mark the emergence of the United States as a world-class maritime power.
Now a featured destination on Boston's Freedom Trail, Constitution and crew offer community outreach and education about the ship's history and the importance of maintaining a strong Navy to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Seventy-seven sailors make up the crew aboard Constitution. These sailors routinely interact with the public talking about their jobs, their previous duty stations, Navy rules and regulations, and life aboard a Navy vessel.
U.S.S. Constitution, America's Ship of State, actively defended sea lanes against global threats from 1797-1855. The World's Oldest Commissioned Warship Afloat, Constitution embodies 220 years of maritime heritage and unwavering service to her country. Now a featured destination on Boston's Freedom Trail, Constitution and her crew of active duty U.S. Navy sailors offer community outreach and education about the ship's history and the importance of naval sea power to more than 500,000 visitors each year.
Sometimes it seems like the workplace is designed to keep you doing anything besides, well… working. If you're a manager, this is a serious problem because everything at work hinges on your ability to effectively lead your team. Still, distractions abound in most offices, from buzzing phones to watercooler chit-chat to the endless lure of surfing the web. With all this chaos, it's difficult to achieve the intense state of concentration known as flow, where employees of all levels do their best work.
Mind Tools for Managers identifies the 100 skills that a manager can master to become a better leader. They were identified in a survey of 15,242 managers and professionals worldwide. This research was conducted by James Manktelow, founder and CEO of MindTools.com, and Professor Julian Birkinshaw, deputy dean for programs at London Business School. The authors provide practical advice for each of these skills—one of which is the ability to stay focused—and direct the reader to the MindTools website for a deeper dive into specific skill-building articles, worksheets, videos, and more.
Even if you're one of the many managers struggling to maintain focus at work, you can achieve a state of flow—which was first described in detail by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—by managing or eliminating the distractions that pull you out of concentration. Keep reading to learn about some of the most common distractions managers and employees typically face at work (and how to deal with them), excerpted from the article "Minimizing Distractions: 10 Ways to Take Control of Your Day." For more information, please refer to Mind Tool 12-1: http://mnd.tools/12-1.
James Manktelow is founder and CEO of MindTools.com. He has written, edited, and contributed to more than 1,000 articles, more than 60 workbooks, and seven books and e-books on management and leadership, including Manage Your Time and Manage Stress.
The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) recently released the third edition of their "State of Energy Report," offering a detailed analysis of national and state trends in oil and natural gas employment, wages and other key economic factors for 2017. TIPRO's "State of Energy Report" series was developed to further quantify and track the economic impact of domestic oil and natural gas production at the state and national level.
According to the association's new report, the U.S. oil and gas industry employed 832,777 professionals in 2017, an increase of 3,060 jobs compared to 2016. This represents the first year showing employment growth in the sector since 2014. The industry paid a national annual wage averaging $109,498 in 2017, 103 percent more than the average private sector wage and higher than average wages for construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, information, professional services, health care, financial services and education services. Payroll in the U.S. oil and gas industry totaled $91 billion in 2017, down by 3 percent compared to 2016.
In 2017, Texas led the country in oil and gas industry employment with a total of 325,439 jobs, a slight increase from 2016 numbers and the first year showing employment growth in the state since 2014. Texas oil and gas employment also represented 39 percent of all oil and gas jobs nationwide last year.
Texas was followed by the other oil and gas producing states in terms of industry employment, including: Oklahoma (61,562 jobs), Louisiana (51,507 jobs), California (35,956 jobs), and Pennsylvania (27,943 jobs), rounding out the top five states by oil and gas employment.
Continuing improvements and efficiencies gained in exploration and production methods during the industry downturn helped to increase the production of crude oil to historic levels, officially reaching 10.066 million barrels of oil per day in 2017, exceeding a previous record set in the 1970s. Independent oil and gas producers, who collectively drill up to 95 percent of the oil and natural gas wells in America, continue to lead the industry in this growth.
Total production figures for Texas included 1.27 billion barrels of oil in 2017, an increase of 105 million barrels compared to 2016, and total natural gas production of 8 trillion cubic feet in 2017 for the state, compared to 8.2 trillion cubic feet in the previous year. The second largest producer of oil in 2017 was North Dakota with 384 million barrels, followed by Alaska with 180 million barrels of oil. The second largest producer of natural gas in the nation in 2017 was Pennsylvania with 5.5 trillion cubic feet, followed by Alaska with 3.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas produced last year.
Despite challenging market conditions over the past several years, the Texas oil and gas industry has remained a cornerstone of the economy providing exceptional career opportunities, as well as significant taxes and royalty payments made to state, local, and federal government entities.
Collectively, Texas oil and gas companies paid $11 billion in state and local taxes and royalty payments in fiscal year 2017, an increase of $1.6 billion compared to 2016. These funds have continued to support all aspects of the state economy, including infrastructure investment, water conservation programs, schools and education, and first responders. Additionally, Texas is home to approximately 2.5 million mineral owners of the 12.5 million mineral owners in the U.S., with oil and gas royalties generating income for nearly 600,000 families in the state.
As market conditions improved in 2017, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry also welcomed a reprieve from overbearing policy measures targeting domestic producers advanced under the previous administration. The rollback of onerous or unnecessary government policies, a return to utilizing sound science at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for developing regulations, meaningful federal tax reform and a renewed commitment by elected officials to achieving U.S. energy dominance together resulted in further investment, job growth and growing optimism from energy producers. Nonetheless, several challenges remain, including uncertainty surrounding tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, current negotiations on the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA), overbearing federal methane regulations, and environmental activist groups that oppose reliable energy.
"As the leading state advocacy organization representing independent oil and gas producers and royalty owners in Texas, TIPRO remains focused on advancing a targeted federal policy agenda, while protecting and strengthening an already strong regulatory and business environment in Texas," said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. "With the anticipated growth in production and jobs in the coming months, key priorities for TIPRO for the interim and next legislative session include identifying programs to better allocate oil and gas tax revenue for county road repair and maintenance in energy producing areas, industry workforce development, water use, educating policymakers on the benefits of oil and gas development, and maintaining a balanced, science-based approach to developing regulations at the state level," said Longanecker.
What does oil and gas mean for Texas?
* Texas led the nation in oil and gas jobs with 325,439 people employed in this industry in 2017, showing the first year of net positive job growth since 2014 and representing 39 percent of all oil and gas jobs nationwide in 2017. This also represented 3 percent of total private sector employment in the state of Texas itself. The positive employment trend in 2017 also continued in the first quarter of 2018 for Texas.
* Texas also led the nation last year in the number of related businesses (11,681), accounting for 29 percent of all oil and gas businesses nationwide.
* Oil and gas jobs in Texas paid on average 132 percent more than the average private sector job in Texas, $128,635 compared to $55,380 in 2017, followed by Alaska with industry wages at $127,827, then California at $121,253.
* Texas led the nation in oil and gas payroll at $41.9 billion in 2017, representing 46 percent of total oil and gas payroll nationwide.
* Texas was the top producing state in the nation with 1.27 billion barrels of oil produced by the Lone Star State in 2017, an increase of 105 million barrels compared to 2016, and total Texas natural gas production of 8 trillion cubic feet in 2017, a slight decrease compared to 2016.
The "State of Energy Report" series is published exclusively by the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association. Data was collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), Texas Workforce Commission, and DrillingInfo Inc.
The Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) is a trade association representing the interests of nearly 3,000 independent oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners throughout Texas. As one of the nation's largest statewide associations representing both independent producers and royalty owners, members include small businesses, the largest, publicly-traded independent producers, and mineral owners, estates, and trusts. Members of TIPRO are responsible for producing more than 85 percent of the natural gas and 70 percent of the oil within Texas, and own mineral interests in millions of acres across the state.


Projects I'd like to begin with willing volunteers!
Aurasma, available as a free app for iOS and Android devices, is one of the leading examples of an Augmented reality app. It allows users to publish and share their own augmented reality content.
This has profound implications for education and thousands of teachers around the world are now using the free technology to augment their classrooms, text books and lessons - bridging the physical world with the virtual.
Shaw Wood Primary School in the UK uses Aurasma throughout the school, and it has been adopted by teachers, parents and pupils alike.
I recently discovered "Skype in the Classroom" online community and began exploring the 2,700 lessons created by over 55,000 teachers from around the world. The website acts as a central meeting place for teachers with an interest in making connections with other classrooms far and wide. Several lesson ideas make sense to begin with, such as "mystery classroom" where two classes play a variation of 20 questions, each trying to guess the state in which their partner school resides.
With Kidblog, your students can write anywhere: from the computer lab, at home, and on their iPad or smartphone. Plus, you can stop lugging around all those paper notebooks!
I've been using KidBlog with my students in various forms for the last three years. Students have used it to create personal blog spaces, as well as for publishing their own stories and opinions about life in general. Most recently, the students were using KidBlog as an outlet for their home reading response assignments. They made good use of KidBlogs amazing "tagging" feature; you can really see what kinds of genre are popular to read at home. Many students have told me that posting the reading response reviews has helped them become better at writing about books and has led them to discover new book titles to read.
I decided to encourage the Language Arts Committee to integrate WebQuests into the draft Common Core plan that was being created this year. We ended up design two WebQuests that would meet the rigorous demands of the Common Core research and note taking standards. These WebQuests focused on inventions and the Chicago Fire, and connect to our science and social studies curriculum. The students use a variety of media sources to collect fact fragments to help complete a task (writing a personal narrative and creating a news article).


text:
Baroness von Sketch Show, Featured
CBC's Baroness von Sketch Show is back for even better Season 2
In what's quickly become a wonderful summer tradition, CBC marks the end of June with the returns of Still Standing and Baroness von Sketch Show. Look for my interview with Still Standing host Jonny Harris elsewhere on the site; this column is all about the funny ladies of Baroness von Sketch Show.
Returning Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBC, the first season was a riotous romp through the minds of Carolyn Taylor, Aurora Browne, Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeil and the crazy, kooky and creative characters and situations they came up with. The group won a well-deserved Canadian Screen Award earlier this year for Best Writing for a Variety or Sketch Comedy Series and they've returned to form in this sophomore season. (Check out my feature story on the ladies in Canadian Screenwriter Magazine.)
The troupe's Mad Max-inspired bit has been posted on social media over the past few weeks and is the first sketch following Tuesday's opening credits for the episode entitled "It Satisfies on a Very Basic Level." Filmed on the shores of Lake Ontario, it's a well-written, supremely acted segment showing a quartet of strong women in a post-apocalyptic world where all men have been killed so ladies may rule. At least, that's what we're led to believe, though the truth comes out. MacNeil, as in Season 1, grabs laughs not just with her delivery and facial expressions but her entire body. A sky-high orange mohawk and fur cape complete her ludicrous look.
Browne nabs a serious laugh in the next skit regarding showing ID when shopping for a certain item, a brief history lesson on menstruation is given next, followed by an uncomfortable situation that arises when someone forgets not to ask about one woman's ex.
Unlike Saturday Night Live, where sketches often go on way too long on expired laughs, Baroness Von Sketch Show is tight, quick and to the point. The Season 2 writing room contained—in addition to Taylor, MacNeil, Whalen and Browne— award-winning author and poet Zoe Whittall (The Best Kind of People), author Monica Heisey (I Can't Believe It's Not Better: A Woman's Guide to Coping with Life), Jennifer Goodhue (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), standups Mae Martin, Elvira Kurt and Dawn Whitwell, Ann Pornel and Alex Tindal (The Sketchersons), playwright Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, Ify Chiwetelu, artist and writer Mariko Tamaki, Evany Rosen and Nelu Handa. The result? A summer of continuous laughs.
Baroness von Sketch Show airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of CBC.
Baroness Von Sketch ShowCBC
Previous PostCBC's Still Standing kicks off Season 3 in Fort McMurrayNext PostCanada's culinary elite wanted: Top Chef Canada auditions are open


Mulan weichang is located in the north east of Hebei province, connected to inner Mongolia grassland, which is one of the most beautiful landscape on the earth. 3 different ways are create in order to achieve the goal. The first is to be inspired by local architecuture. The second is to use local material including old stone, used wooden beam and ratten. Together with surrounding micro landscape, the building could fit into the vast nature.
The most difficult part of the project is to create eternal relationship between grassland and the building. Many elements are taken from the traditional yurt building, for example: the pattern and the facade. Two big circles create the main living room, extending the traditional yurt layout. While the extended boxes become the semi-public space. This kind of layout makes the yurt fit the modern life style. In terms of facade designing, by creating wooden frames in different thickness, the flower shaped roof could be made. The interior space is derived from the traditional yurt interior by using framing in different direction.
In the future, Zhang Hai'ao hopes it will also be the central library for the region. Local children could come here to read and play. In the future, this building become The Catcher in the Rye for this region. We hope different people with different faith could come here to play together, sharing different ideas to forge into a strong group.


Building a web presence for your small business holds many advantages for both short and long term marketing goals. Successful inbound marketing campaigns are constantly being touched, tweaked, and modified by humans to maintain and continually build their web presence. Through reporting tools that help us track data from websites, professional online marketers (like our WebOps®) are able to pull levers and make shifts when needed to increase leads for businesses.
Analyzing trends helped lead to tripling traffic.
Tracking website data provides insights to marketers so that we can see what's working, and what needs more attention on the website. Some of the greatest information shared from website analytics is from the unexpected wins. By taking the time to thoroughly review data from our clients, WebOps® can spot trends in popular pages within the website or keywords that were used to find our clients. As time goes on, the data builds and is used to continue to dominate search engine results for our clients.
The web analytics we receive and turn into actionable results from websites are like internet gold. Creating a well tuned, ever growing website from these analytics takes time. When building a web presence, we typically look for trends to help us make decisions. Website analytics become increasingly valuable as time goes by, so that we can look back on data from months at a time. If your business is seasonal, analyzing your website traffic might help find why your customers are coming to your website during the off season. It could completely change the content being delivered in order to suit the needs of your current and potential customers.
A residential landscaper, for example, might be more interested in delivering content about lawn maintenance and services during the spring and summer, while the late winter months could benefit from content surrounding landscape planning. The ability to track the data that draws local clients to your site helps to identify content that makes an impact. Over time, it can lead to the accumulation of thousands of keyword variations that helped internet searchers find your small business online. By spotting trends and addressing need periods, a WebOp® can create content that meets immediate needs for the business, as well as create evergreen content that lasts for months or even years.
Building a web presence takes time, especially if you plan on making it last for years to come. Initially, you might have in mind a handful of keywords that you think customers will use to find their way to your site. You might be surprised after a year of building your web presence when your WebOp® tells you that there were hundreds of keyword variants used by local searchers to find your small business online. The ability to record and analyze data from your website is an essential piece to growing your business.
Contact TrustWorkz® today to find out how your small business marketing can benefit from a professional WebOp® managing your web presence.
Kevin is the President/CEO at TrustWorkz, Inc. He also blogs about marketing and leadership on his personal website. You can follow along or contact Kevin on Twitter via @KevinEkmark or on LinkedIn.
Small Business Owner? Click Here!
By clicking Join Now, you confirm that you would like to receive emails from TrustWorkz about marketing news and tips.
Be found online in your local market. Contact TrustWorkz® today!


text:
Master's Message
Trestleboard
Central District Events
Master Wardens & Officers
Fellowcraft Club
History of Harmony #9
Master's Message
Master's Message – February 2023
Jan 24, 2023 | Master Messages, News & Events
Jeremy Newton Worshipful Master Harmony Lodge #9 F.&A.M.Brothers, Ladies and Friends of the Lodge, I would like to start this month's message by congratulating Harmony's newest class of Masons. Six new brothers entered the craft at our recent entered apprentice...
Master's Message – January 2023
Jan 1, 2023 | Master Messages, News & Events
Jeremy Newton Worshipful Master Harmony Lodge #9 F.&A.M.Brothers, Ladies and Friends of the Lodge, By the time you receive this message, we will be coming upon the end of the Holiday Season. I hope that everyone had a healthy and happy celebration. The first month...
Master's Message – December 2022
Dec 1, 2022 | Master Messages, News & Events
Jeremy Newton Worshipful Master Harmony Lodge #9 F.&A.M.Brothers, Ladies and Friends of the Lodge, I'd like to start this message by once again congratulating Worshipful Edwards on a terrific term in the East. Josh's love for the Lodge and his brothers was evident...
Master's Message – November 2022
Oct 25, 2022 | Master Messages, News & Events
Joshua A. D. Edwards Worshipful Master Harmony Lodge #9 F.&A.M.Wardens, Brethren and Family, With my year as Master of Harmony coming to an end I couldn't be more appreciative for the opportunity to lead such an amazing Lodge. This year came with plenty of...
Master's Message – June 2022
May 31, 2022 | Master Messages, News & Events
Joshua A. D. Edwards Worshipful Master Harmony Lodge #9 F.&A.M.Wardens, Brethren and Family, With the approach of June and Harmony's summer recess, it's an appropriate time to reflect on the first half of our year; where half our events lay behind us and half...
Harmony's EA Degree – Saturday, January 28th at 9:00 AM
Trestleboard – February 2023
Trestleboard – January 2023
Archives Select Month January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 December 2009 November 2009


text:
Home Digital Fox: Opinions Captain Marvel: A Spoiler-Free Review
Captain Marvel: A Spoiler-Free Review
Justin Pearson-Smith
A giant step in the right direction. Source: Marvel Studios
For many, Captain Marvel represents a major breakthrough in the massive franchise, with it being the first Marvel movie to centre around a female protagonist.
With the exception of Wonder Woman, female-led superhero properties have struggled when being adapted to cinema. So the question on everyone's mind was as to whether this film could deliver.
The short answer is that whilst this film does have its flaws, it will undoubtedly resonate with a lot of people. Captain Marvel doesn't make any significant mistakes, however the problem is that in an over-saturated market, superhero films are a dime a dozen.
For many, this will be seen as a mid-level Marvel movie rather than a top tier Marvel film. It may feature plenty of moments that will please both Marvel fans and casual viewers but whether or not Captain Marvel has power to succeed in the box office remains to be seen.
What's it about?
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel centres around Carol Danvers (played by Bree Larson), a woman raised in the Kree home world. Her memories beyond the last five years have been lost, and not knowing her true name, she now goes by the name Vers.
She lives as a Kree soldier, fighting an alien race of shape-shifters known as the Skrulls. When a mission leads her and the Skrulls to Earth, Vers soon realises that this planet may hold the key to unlocking her past and the origins of her mysterious powers.
What about the visuals and aesthetics of the film?
Visually, Captain Marvel is another solid entry boasting some spectacular sequences. Those of us itching for more of cosmic Marvel will not go home disappointed. In all honesty, I could have easily sat through the movie set entirely in space.
Thankfully though, the film succeeds where Green Lantern failed many years earlier.
A cosmic adventure with plenty of character-driven moments. Source: Marvel Studios
By setting the film in the 90s as opposed to modern day, the film lends itself to numerous nostalgic references. We see various nods to outdated technology, 90's films, as well as a soundtrack that is unapologetically 90s to its core.
If you remember living through that decade, this film is most definitely aimed at you.
How are the performances?
Brie Larson embodies the character of Captain Marvel perfectly. It might not be an oscar-worthy performance but no one walked into the cinema expecting an Oscar-award winning film. As with all Marvel casting, she nails her lead character.
Samuel L. Jackson reprising the role of Nick Fury allows for great chemistry between him and the titular character. The two bounce off each other incredibly well and give some of the sequences a buddy cop movie vibe, which is far from a bad thing.
Will you find out how Nick Fury loses his eye? You'll have to watch the film in order to find out. Source: Marvel Studios
Clark Gregg returns as fan-favourite Agent Coulson. Jude Law puts in a decent performance as Yon-Rogg (Danver's mentor on the Kree home world) though his role is too limited to allow him to shine.
Is the film agenda-driven?
Beyond some of the marketing, it's a big no. When it comes to Captain Marvel, there is already a vocal minority attacking the film with claims of it being anti-men.
Yet having watched the film, I can say with some confidence that there is no agenda that the film attempts to beat you over the head with.
Gender issues whether they are real or not could harm the film at the box office angering Brie Larson, Marvel and fans of the MCU. Source: Marvel Studios.
In fact I'd argue that its more balanced and less agenda-driven than Wonder Woman.
Captain Marvel's gender plays very little significance on the plot. Beyond a couple of brief lines about women not being able to fly combat missions in the 90s, gender issues never really impact the film. Fans of the Bechdel test will be happy to know it passes with flying colours.
What's with the cat?
You might have noticed a cat in much of the promotional content for Captain Marvel. Goose, played by Reggie and three stunt cats, is Marvel's first cat superhero. I'm not too sure if that's the most fitting label but it's the one I'm using so deal with it.
Goose steals the show at every opportunity.
Personally Goose should have done the bulk of the marketing for Captain Marvel Seen here at the Premiere. Source: Marvel Studios.
Marvel does actually have a comic series featuring super-powered pets and Goose would certainly be an excellent addition. If you're listening Marvel, we want a Pet Avengers movie now #GooseForPetAvengersMovie.
So final thoughts…
Captain Marvel might not be the strongest entry in the MCU and to be honest I don't think an entry level film could hit that mark. That said, Captain Marvel gets a hell of a lot more right then many other super hero films in and out of Marvel.
It's a fun nostalgia-fuelled space adventure with the coolest cat that the MCU has seen (so far, at least). If the cat doesn't sell you on this film, then I'm not sure what else will.
I'm a man of many interests and talents. I have a love of science fiction, horror, fantasy across most formats. I am a massive films fan. I formerly was a host on the Soylent Greenscreen movie podcast. These days I cosplay and write in my spare time.


text:
Kasparov's Newest: 9 Games to Follow
Yury Markushin
Garry Kasparov needs no introduction. He is arguably one of the greatest chess players in the history of the game. Kasparov announced his retirement immediately after winning the Linares 2005, ahead of Topalov, Anand, Leko and other players.
Noone anticipated that after a decade of absence from rated chess he will start playing competitively again. Did he win? Or did he lose?
Let's take it a step at a time and take a look at all the games Garry played.
What is New in Theory? (April-May 2017)
chessbibliophile
ChessPublishing is a well-known site devoted to opening theory. This column deals with updates on recent developments from the site. Focus would be both on topical variations and rare lines that can be used in practice. Bent Larsen loved rook pawns and when he moved them they were imbued with a magic of their own. Modern grandmasters also follow his example and rook pawns come into play early in the opening itself.
What is New in Theory? (February-March 2017)
ChessPublishing.com is a well-known site devoted to opening theory. This column deals with updates on recent developments from the site. Focus would be both on topical variations and rare lines that can be used in practice – Ed.
What is New in Theory? (January 2017)
ChessBase Magazine #175 – Review
ChessBase Magazine is the flagship of ChessBase and released every two months. Our columnist offers review of a recent issue-Ed. It was a proud moment for American chess when the USA team won Gold in the Olympiad ahead of their rivals, Ukraine and Russia in a field of 170 nations. For those of us who watched the games, the Olympiad itself was a celebration of chess as never seen before. This issue of ChessBase Magazine captures the agony and ecstasy of the event as so many national teams vied for honors round after round.
What is New in Theory? (October 2016)
ChessPublishing.com is a well-known site devoted to opening theory. This column deals with updates on recent developments from the site. Focus would be bothon topical variationsand rare lines that can be used in practice-Ed.
New in Chess Magazine: Reivew
Our columnist reviews the last issue of New in Chess magazine that marked the end of 2015-Ed.
ChessBase 13: In Search of The Treasure Trove
Our columnist introduces ChessBase 13 program with special emphasis on its database-Ed.
Our columnist offers a glimpse of developments in theory from ChessPublishing.com.
Don't miss the analysis of the decisive encounters from the Candidates'2016-Ed.
ChessBase Magazine #171 Review
ChessBaseMagazine is the flagship of ChessBase and released every two months.
Our columnist offers a review of the latest issue-Ed.